A Shift in Balance
by Sakeryu
Summary: A simple mission leaves Sakura captured in the hands of mass murderers. As powerful and loyal as she is, Sakura has no choice, but to accept this new shift in balance. SakuraXAkatsuki
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is my first story that I am posting online. I am very pleased, to say the least, that I am now posting such fanfiction here. I hope you enjoy and feel free to review with any sort of comments.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto characters do not belong to me, but the story plot does. Thank you.

Chapter One

Slowly, she cracked open her eyes. The morning rays filtering into her vision blinding her momentarily. She narrowed her eyes abruptly and tried to focus. She gathered her chakra from the soft center of her being and let the silk-like energy flow through the pathways in to circulation. Her blood warmed and she began to mold the chakra in her hands slowly.

Closing her fists, she dispersed her chakra letting it rest. Lazily, she unraveled her legs from the blankets, leaned her head back, and arched her back like a feline awakening from an afternoon nap. Her toes curled and uncurled, her muscles tightening and unclenching. Opening her eyes, she lifted her head from the green pillow and pushed herself into a sitting position. Blinking with calculating eyes, she studied her living quarters and listened to the chirping of the birds. She gazed from her bed at the clock perched above the desk across the room.

Reading at six fifty-seven, she watched as the hands shifted and the clock ticked. Glancing at her scroll covered desk, she sighed. Shifting her body around, she placed her feet on the floorboards. The coolness finally running up her legs into her body. She stood slowly as to avoid becoming dizzy, the floorboards creaked and she winced.

_If there was a being in my apartment, they would know I was here for sure, _she thought.

As quietly as she could, she paced out of her room into the hallway. Taking a quick, sharp turn she entered her bathroom. There she ran her hands through her soft, pink tresses and gazed into the person staring back at her.

_I look like shit,_ she thought staring at the purple bags under her eyes, and the grease in her hair.

Closing the door she stripped down, throwing her white nightgown into the hamper by the edge of the counter. Having no chest bindings on, she slipped out of her underwear throwing it with the nightgown. Quickly, she went to the shower, pulled the curtain aside, and grasped the nozzle. Adjusting it to a warmer temperature, she entered slowly letting the water cascade down her body.

After her shower, she looked in the mirror. Refreshed as she was she still felt a sort of nagging sensation. Pushing aside everything else, she reached under the counter and grabbed a towel. Tightly wrapping it around her petite, lean frame, she opened the door and exited the bathroom. She grabbed new bindings as she reentered her room, and walked to her closet.

Gazing at her wardrobe, she disregarded her chest bindings in favor of a long-sleeved fishnet shirt. Slipping it over her head, she pulled the shirt down and over her breasts comfortably in place and unrestricted. Quietly, she slipped on baggy, black sweat pants that just went past her knees. Pulling her hair out of the way, she pulled on a green Junín vest and zipped it up to the valley between her vests. Walking back to her desk, she located her black fingerless gloves and strapped them on.

Stretching her fingers, she grabbed her kunai pouch and strapped it around her right leg. Grabbing some senbon needles, she scurried to the kitchen all the while hiding the needles in her hair. Once in the kitchen she proceeded to gather fruit. Glancing at another clock, she finished eating her fruit, savoring the sweet taste of strawberries. Quickly, she headed to front door of her apartment, slipped on her traditional sandals, and left her tiny apartment, locking the door.

Pushing herself faster she ran down the stairs and stopped at the street. Bustling by, she pumped small amounts of chakra into her feet. She had a summoning from the Hokage, and wished not to offend her former sensei by being late.

Such was the daily routine of this said shinobi. She had grown since her genin days and was no longer the naïve child at the age of thirteen. Now, five years in the making, she had surpassed her sensei, one of the great Sanin and the current Hokage, and now was a special Junín. She usually worked in the hospital, but occasionally would go on a mission of various rankings. Not only did she grow in strength and intelligence, but physically. Standing five foot five inches, she was lean. Her skin stretched over taunt muscles and was slightly tanned from her training outside. Her forehead was no longer huge and excessively large and she possessed a small button nose that drew down to supple lips.

Shifting her gaze up she climbed the steps of the Hokage Tower, stopping once to greet a fellow officer. Reaching the large oak door, she paused to knock. After hearing a 'come in', she opened the door to look at her old sensei.

"Tsunade-sama seems you have yet to complete all those mission statements." She said teasingly with a glance at the hordes of scrolls on the large desk.

The busty blonde glowered up from her work straightening slightly, "Blame it on Shizune. She's the one who took the sake away."

Tsunade looked at her with identical eyes of mirth and called her forth with a wave of her hand. She stared with brown eyes as her once pupil started forward and stopped in front of her desk. Tsunade leaned back in her chair, bringing her hands together.

"Sakura."

Sakura stared forth, her face still, and it reminded Tsunade vaguely of a porcelain doll she seen at a shop front the other day on her way to get the sake. Such a shame Shizune found it.

"Yes, ma'am."

"In the summoning, I mentioned you'll be sent on a mission, correct?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes cautiously.

"Hai." Sakura recalled the scroll she left open on her desk.

Tsunade carefully analyzed Sakura.

"I will be sending you on a two week long mission to Kiro no Kuni: the land of Mist and Fog." Tsunade gazed at her quietly for a moment, "Understand that this mission is top ranked, first priority. You will be heading over to heal a political leader called Hiroshi Diacho. He is in good standing with the Lord there and I would appreciate if we can forge an alliance."

"So I will be reinforcing diplomatic strengths, in other words." Sakura asked balancing herself on her feet.

"Yes. Now be prepared to leave as soon as possible. I want you out of Konoha by the end of the day." Tsunade stated rubbing her eyes, she said, "Be prepared for anything. Akatsuki has yet to be found and eliminated and there are many who wish for us to not excel."

"Hai. Sensei, I shall leave as soon as I am prepared. Will I be leaving with a team or a partner?" Sakura leaned forward slightly, inclining her head.

"Just by yourself. No team, no partner, no help. I trust you to complete this mission with a success." Tsunade straightened her aching back, reaching for another mission statement.

Sakura, taking this as a dismissal, turned on her heel and started to mentally note all possibilities and supplies she would need. She dared not to miss something as important as this was. She knew how long it has taken Konoha to come to good terms with the Land of Mist and Fog. She wished not to destroy such a new and unstable relationship.

"Oh, and Sakura?"

Sakura stopped at the door, her hand resting on the knob. Turning her head, she watched the Hokage over her shoulder.

"Be safe." Tsunade said, worry evident in her face, but not in her voice.

"Hai." Sakura let a small smile lift her lips and shifted to take her leave.

Sakura closed the door quietly behind her and began, with a steady pace, back home. As she made her way down the steps of the Hokage Tower, she took note of the stirring of the citizens. Even at such an early hour, Konoha was starting to bustle with activity. Shop keepers began setting up shop, and early risers began their routine exercise. She watched as some citizens jogged together or offered each other some assistance with regularly hard tasks. She smiled.

_What a wonderful home_, she thought, _how wonderful indeed_.

Sakura once again dragged her focus back to her current situation. She trudged down the many steps quicker this time, recalling her new task.

_A two week mission to a possibly savage village with nothing more than a small meager chance to enforce a potential alliance,_ she thought shaking her head, _this is going to be hard_.

The journey would be rough. Having to cross most of Fire Country and dangerous waters, she began to plot her own route. She would head toward the coastline and catch a ferry across the sea to the small island. From there she would travel across two unstable borders, and catch another ferry to Mist.

Quickly, she was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a small nagging in the back of her mind.

_Chakra_, she thought.

Hurrying, she pumped chakra into the soles of her feet and pushed forward, the wind grasping her long hair. She leaned forward to give her a bit more edge, and dodged a well aimed kunai. Twisting, the kunai barely grazed her hair. Sakura growled low. Before she knew it, she had produced a kunai in her hand, the cool metal calming her rage. She began to think. K_unai came from the right_. Glancing, she noted the chakra signature had vanished.

Her eyes wandered up the wall, and then back in front of her. The air stilled, it almost became suffocating. She slowed down the chakra flow to her feet, and focused on finding where the chakra signature last came from. Scanning quickly, she quieted her heart's loud thumping. The air shifted, as did she. She listened to the sharpness of the air, and the whizzing as another projectile was launched at her.

Dodging, she pushed herself from the step, leaping into the air from the Hokage Tower steps. _From the left_! she thought erratically. She turned her body midair toward where the projectile came from and saw a moving figure, a dark splash against the gold morning hue. Quickly, she aimed her kunai and flung it. Landing on her feet in a crouched position, she stilled her body. A smirk crept onto her features.

"Kiba, you'll have to try better than that." Standing from her crouched position, Sakura shifted her weight to her left leg.

Laughing, he landed not too far from her. He stood slowly, his eyes glinting in the sun light. His teeth protruding slightly over his lips, he laughed again. Shaking his head, he grinned at her. He stretched his fingers, clenching them again.

"I'm just testing to see if you'll be able to handle me," he laughed, his brown hair ruffled by the wind.

She laughed out right, and draped her right arm down the length of her right leg. Her smirk widened as she watched his eyes trail her movement. Startled, he let his eyes glide back up the stretch of her body to her face and then grinned, his taking on a predatory glint.

"Come on, Kiba. You know I'm the one who should be testing you." She laughed tilting her head, "Besides, you know I'm not that interested in just casual sex."

His face dropped, his grin dropping to a frown. A thought occurred to him, and he once again was grinning.

"But it won't be just casual. It would be so good; I'll have you begging for more." He stepped forward.

"I'm not some dog that can be trained, Kiba." She turned to the side, and went to begin descending the stairs, when she was suddenly stopped.

Kiba flung himself at her in a blur, pushing her body into the wall. He growled lowly, and trapped her in between his arms. Sakura leaned into the wall, keeping her body from touching his solid built one. His open jacket brushed the sides of her legs as he leaned his face closer to her. Her breath hitched as she gazed into the intensity known as his eyes.

"What about that one night? What about that one kiss?" Kiba growled softly.

"It was my birthday. Naruto had just come home. I was drunk." She reasoned, trying to ignore the warmth of his body heat. "Besides, it was just one kiss."

"You can't tell me you didn't enjoy it. Admit it. Admit that it was an intoxicating kiss. Admit that you want to do it again." He leaned in further, his lips close to hers.

She studied his face, his eyes half-lidded, his mouth slightly parted as he panted, and how the red paint was a splash of color dripping down his cheeks to his jaw. Her breath hitched again in her throat. She was drunk that night and just wanted to have fun. She wanted nothing more than to watch such delicious men, such as Kiba and Neji. She did. She wondered if they would taste as good as they looked. And she found out.

"I will repeat again. I was drunk." She sighed, "I have to go. We'll play this game of yours when I come back."

He growled louder. Pushing himself away from her as though he was burned, he turned to leave. She leaned forward slightly, but kept herself close to the wall in case he had something in store for her. He stopped and she grew anxious waiting. He growled again and looked over his shoulder at her.

"It's not a game, Sakura, fucking is not a game. " He hissed through clenched teeth.

Her temper flared. It grew in her chest until she couldn't contain it. She clenched her fists tightly, her teeth practically grinding together.

"Then what is it?" She tightened her muscles and said, "What the hell is sex?"

"It's a conquer."He growled with so much venom she was sure he would be spitting acid.

Her temper flared to life again, and before she could retort back, he leaped from the steps off into the streets. _Good_, she thought, _just where that flea bag belonged_. She clenched her fists, and pumped chakra into her feet once again. Running she bound over the steps and onto the rooftops on her way back to her apartment.

--

By the time, she reached her apartment the streets were bustling with life. The once cold, empty streets were now crowded and filled to the brim with people. She glanced around the people and watched with smiling eyes the trades the people practiced. She squeezed through the throng of people to the steps of her apartment. Already pulling her keys out, she shuffled up the steps to avoid being called upon. But to her dismay, she already had been.

"Sakura-chan!"

Hunching her shoulders down, she sighed. But then she smiled. Naruto was exactly what she needed to brighten her sour mood. Quickly, she turned her body just in time to be entrapped in the blonde's arms.

"Naruto!" She laughed patting him on the back almost awkwardly.

"Sakura, I missed you! The mission was so long and boring, I thought I would never see you again!" He cried out, finally releasing her.

She laughed softly, "Naruto, you just miss the ramen."

He seemed to think for a moment on it, scratching his head, and then his bright cheery smile filtered into place.

_Just where it belongs_, she thought smiling up at him. _Gosh, has he grown_.

He was practically a head and a half taller than her now. And he grew into his face. The whiskers on his cheeks, the strong bone structure, his gleaming blue eyes, it all seemed to fit him.

_I would have it no other way._

"Well, I did. I think the ramen just a bit more so than you." He laughed.

Faking anger, she lightly punched him on the arm and he squealed and laughed. She shook her head and opened the door. She looked at him and he gazed back his eyes soft.

"Want to come in?" She gestured, opening the door further.

"No, I promised Hinata that I would take her to get something to eat. I just wanted to stop by and say hello. You know, see how you are doing." He smiled.

Narrowing her eyes, she scolded him, "Take her somewhere nice! And make it your treat! Pay for her, and don't be cheap and get her ramen."

He chuckled and turned a bit to the side.

Waving he said, "It's our one year anniversary. I'm not that slow!"

Before she could them him that he wasn't slow, he ran off waving behind him. He almost ran into a civilian and apologized profusely. Laughing softly, she entered her apartment shaking her head.

Locking the door, she slipped into her bedroom. Grabbing a traveling pack, she scurried around the house picking up essential items that she would need for her two week trip. _Soap, check. Toothbrush, check. Hair brush, check. Extra clothes, check_. She stood still thinking about what she could possibly be missing. _Oh!_ She thought. She grabbed a few of her scrolls, and a few blank scrolls to jot down anything important on her travel. Smiling softly, she zipped up her traveling pack, having already placed her medical bag in her pack.

Scanning her apartment, she locked all the windows, closed the curtains and quietly left. Making sure to lock the door, she hurried out. Pushing herself, she headed toward the main gate being extra careful as to not attract any unwanted attention to her. In what felt like no time, she reached the main gate.

"Genma, it's always a surprise to find you here." Sakura said, stopping in front of the guards.

He laughed around his senbon, he moved away from the wall he was currently leaning against. She smiled, and glanced at his partner. His partner kept glancing around with swift nervous eyes. She noted his stiff shoulders and his posture.

_Nervous, must be new to this position_, she thought studying Genma's new partner.

"Want me to tell Tsunade that you passed through already?" He asked, lazily.

"She told you I would?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes letting her smile transfer to a frown.

"She said to let you pass today any time you pleased without a fault." He said, his senbon moving around his mouth easily as he talked.

Nodding, she kept walking on through the gates. Staring into the forest, she extended her chakra into threads to scan for any possible danger that she could not detect by sight or sound. Feeling no threat, she bound into the trees, the forestry disguising her.

--

She sighed. It's been hours since she last stopped and she was almost to the coastline. _Why couldn't I be closer? _Huffing, she dropped down to the ground. _The air had turned moist almost thirty minutes ago_, she thought adjusting her pack. _I should be there within a matter of minutes._

Slowing her pace, she scanned her surroundings. The tree line had begun to fade and the smell of salt filled her senses. Looking up, she watched the sky as best as she could. It was starting to darken_. Rather quickly_, she noted to herself.

Looking back at her trail, she quickened her pace. _The edge of the trees is right there_! She thought. Sakura started to jog slowly, and as she passed the last tree, she smiled sadly. The coastline always made her think of her first mission as a genin with Kakashi and Team 7. _What idiot we were_, she thought. It never ceased to amaze her how such a beautiful tragedy the event turned out to be. How one can give such undivided care and love to another. Haku was more than just brave or loyal, but a real example.

Shaking her head, she dispersed the image of Haku's dead body and the look in Kabuza's eyes when Haku passed. She could only dream of dying with such honor of a shinobi. _And I will, for my country, for my sensei, for my friends_, she thought.

Turning, she let her body carry her onto the worn path toward the small port. Her body continued on and she let her mind wander. She thought of how everyone grown into such wonderful, powerful people. She thought of the names and put faces to those said names. She thought of Naruto and his blind faith. She thought of Sasuke and his deceit. She thought of Ino and her compulsive nature. She thought of Shikamaru's upcoming marriage to Temari of the Village of Sand.

Before she knew it she was in the small port. The smell of fish, salt, and water made her scrunch her nose in distaste. Quickly, she headed in the direction of the small station where she could find out when the next ferry would be arriving.

This small port was not very well known. It was small, only a small number of people actual lived in the surrounding area. However, the area was great for catching fish or rare type, but due to undermined wages, the port could not prosper properly. She usually enjoyed the port; just she preferred it better when it wasn't summer. _Fish in the heat do not mix._

Approaching the director, whom she recognized, she smiled.

"Sakura, why are you here so early in the year? I usually don't expect you until late fall." The old man smiled, waving her over.

He was old, in his late sixties she presumed. He had worn a white button up shirt with brown overalls, and his traditional hat. She smiled, _still the same._

"I'm on a mission to the Land of Mist and Fog. Want to give me a lift?" Sakura laughed.

"Well, you better get on fast. It's about to leave in about fifteen minutes and the next one won't be here until later tonight." He pulled out a small ticket, as she pulled out enough coins.

Making the exchange, she bid him farewell and headed quickly to the dock. Presenting the ticket to the small boy, she smiled. But as she climbed into the ferry, she couldn't shake the feeling that something, if anything, was off. Shrugging it off as if it was the horrid smell of fish in the summer time, she adjusted her pack.

She leaned on the railing and settled herself in for the long hours to the small island not far from the Kiro no Kuni: the land of Mist and Fog. But as she dazed off, she didn't notice the suspicious air growing thicker and the lack of other passengers.

--

**A.N:** Well, I think I am done for today. As I said, this chapter is now longer. I aimed to show a development in her character and, as I hope you noticed, she didn't dwell on Sasuke. I wanted to focus on her, not so much on him. I hope to update in a week or so. It really depends on the growth of popularity of this story. So please do leave reviews, good or bad, it all helps out in the end. Check back soon though for updates, if any. Happy reading.

I will NOT update, if there are no reviews.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N:** Well, here is chapter two. Sorry about having to delete the story. I didn't know that I could replace files until after the fact. Only a slight pain, but in the end it worked out seeing as chapter 1 became the length of the original chapters one and two. But I promise this chapter is longer, more exciting, and I hope to have you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. Have fun reading.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto does not belong to me, plot does.

--

Chapter Two

She stared out into the vast sea. It's waves crashing vigorously. As the boat rocked, she leaned back a little to avoid the sprinkles of salt water that splashed up from the depths. Shifting back to her original position, she shivered. It was cooler here than in Konoha. She should have thought to pack a cloak.

The sky darkened considerably, the clouds blocking out all sunlight. She shivered again, but not from a chill. She glanced around the deck. The deck was just as vast and empty as the mighty sea.

Swearing softly under her breath, she looked back out into the sea. The water didn't glisten or gleam as she hoped. It didn't reflect her face in its surface, but swallowed her whole into its deep, dark, depths.

A chill ran up her spine. A clash of thunder roared above her causing her to slightly jump.

Behind her, a bitter laugh erupted. She swiveled on her feet and glared at the man. His crooked, rotted teeth protruded as he openly laughed at her expense. He settled down after a minute and, still chuckling, he attended to his duty of mopping the deck.

Sakura snarled, turning her back to the man.

_Old fool can laugh all he wants_

Sakura took to staring out.

_It's not the same color as Naruto's eyes_, she though staring at the sea once again.

"Naruto,' she mumbled lost in thought.

Naruto has grown. He's tall, handsome, for a dobe, and kind. He's so loyal and determined. Shame Sasuke wasn't like that. She spit over the railing into the sea.

_Sasuke doesn't know what he's missing, but…_

She paused feeling an overwhelming emotion flood her. Staring back into the unknown depths, she thought:

_Sasuke has followed his own path. He made his decision and maybe, just maybe, one day he'll be able to bury his past, put it to rest, and be at peace. Even if it's not with Naruto's and my help._

Sakura turned away feeling more mellow and content with that thought in mind. She gazed at the faint outline of the approaching island nation as she glanced at the front of the deck.

"So , you headin' over to that lil' island there, yeah?"

She didn't hesitate to glare at the old fool who dared to laugh at her. She bit back a retort and, instead, tore her gaze away from the island. Shaking her head, she laughed.

"Why else would I be on this damned boat?" Her laugh was bitter.

"Eh, no reason to fuss, see. There' a bad storm headin' this way. That there island could be a down fall. Tryin' to save a pretty miss if I can." He shrugged and sauntered back and forth on the deck.

"If a storm comes, oh well. I'm sure I can handle myself." Sakura said.

He said nothing in turn. His back was hunched as he dragged the mop back and forth, rinsing it occasionally. She stared at the old man and felt pity. What a horrible life he has, mopping decks, always at sea. But she had no right to criticize his lifestyle. She killed for a living. Even living a life on a boat had to be better.

She shook her head, shuffled her feet, and leaned over the railing a bit more. A small drop of rain splashed on her button nose and she snorted. Oh how she loved the rain.

--

When the boat pulled into the small port on the island, she was soaked to the bones. Her body was shivering and having no jacket just really ruined her mood. She growled as she seen the old man with the crooked teeth snicker from under his raincoat. She shook her head in his direction and snorted, sauntering off.

_Why that old, goddamned..._

The rain began to pelt harder. She looked around for anything. Nothing came to sight besides a stand where the director usually would sell his tickets for the ferry.

She had forgotten this place having not been here in years. She remembered why she never came to this nation. The nation was poor with barely enough money to sustain their own people. People lived in poverty and famine. The island was filled to the rim with swamps and thick forestry. No wonder they couldn't produce enough food.

She tugged on her traveling pack and moved forward cautiously to avoid slipping.

_Especially in front of that old croon, _she thought.

--

As the hours passed and she trudged forward, she started to grow tired. Her hair was tangled, the weather sucked, it was still raining, she slipped how many goddamned times, and she was sure that their couldn't be anymore mud caked on her skin. She huffed, desperately trying to rid herself of her growing impatience.

She stepped over a rather large rock, and then, without any warning, slipped and fell backwards. She screeched indignantly as mud flung up and swamp water drenched her. Damn those wet rocks! She threw her hands down causing more muddy water to fling up unto her.

"Ugh! Dammit! Why me?!" She yelled her voice starting to grow hoarse.

Trying to wedge herself up, she realized the worse. She was stuck. With a huff, she tried to squirm out of her odd predicament, but with no such luck. Her hands kept slipping and her body was thoroughly wedged in between the rocks she slipped on. She kicked her legs up and pushed with her hands. This wasn't working. She thought to use her chakra, but thought better.

_If I use it, enemy ninja could detect me. As if that scream of mine hadn't done the trick…_

"Well, well. Look at what we have here, Itachi."

She froze like a deer in a set of headlights. She knew that voice from anywhere, that deep rumbling, that small accent, that God forsaken name. This just wasn't her day. Her adrenaline rushed through her at incredible speed and she gulped. Lifting her head, she looked through mud covered lashes.

"Hoshigaki Kisame," she said slowly with a voice of disbelief.

She stopped her struggles abruptly. All she could hear was her heart in her ears. Her blood ran cold. There he was not even fifteen feet from her.

She stared at his boots. He had traded in his sandals in favor of the boots, probably knowing full well of the conditions of the island. She carefully brought her gaze up from his black boots, up to his partially covered calves, and up his black cloak covered in red clouds, to his face. Of course, he didn't look like he minded the pouring rain at all, his face a smirk. His skin glistened with the raindrops and his hair ever so black and still slicked in the same fashion as in his photo in the Bingo Book.

Kisame's one arm was rested on the hilt of his Samehada. The other arm rested carelessly against his side.

"So you know who I am," He said. His voice having been nothing more than a loud rumble from his throat.

"Of course I do. You're the infamous missing-nin from Kirigakure, partner of Uchiha Itachi. Former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Your sword can absorb chakra and is only known to be used by you." Sakura said studying his pale blue face.

She flinched as his sharp triangular teeth came into view. She tried not to shiver when his laughter seemed to bubble up from his throat, his body shaking with the act. She stared at his beady eyes trying to avoid looking at his mouth scared of what they could possibly do.

"And what do you know of my partner?" he said amusement coating his words.

"Enough." She said, not so willing to give away too much of her knowledge.

"I see."

Another voice. It couldn't be any other than the famous Uchiha brother; Itachi. He had been an ANBU for Konoha long ago, but was now a missing-nin, just like his partner. He was known for his destructive eyes and killing nature. She dreaded all her life ever meeting the duo, but chances where that whoever was up there didn't want to miss a potential laugh.

Forgetting the danger, her eyes swiveled over the Uchiha. Her breath caught in her throat. Quickly realizing her mistake, she lowered her eyes to his feet. His red blazing eyes firmly implanted in her mind as she recalled the swirling red masses.

_Must not look. God, Sakura! Why did you have to look? You could have been killed! And I still can be!_

She noticed that Itachi too had on black boots.

_Talk about pre...pared…_

Her mind seemed to stop working for a moment in time. They were prepared for this weather, they were prepared to stand in the mud and swamp water. An omniscience sensation overcame her and she forgot the breath.

_Oh, Good Lord, please save me._

"Haruno Sakura," she flinched.

"Uchiha Itachi," she said trying to keep her voice devoid of any emotion.

"You will be coming with us." He said without question.

Her heart stopped, she knew it. No wonder they were prepared! Her eyes widened and at the sudden realization, she narrowed them. She clenched her mud covered fists and growled. Hearing such a noise, Kisame laughed obviously amused by her anger.

She glared up at him through her hair and sneered. He laughed even harder by her actions. He looked down at her, his smirk pushing his gills up higher up on his face slightly. A burning hatred filled her. Here she was stuck between two rocks, on an island filled on nothing but swamp water and mud, and now this! She shook as anger filled her. Her heart began to pump faster. Her blood warmed and she filtered her chakra around her body.

Taking her shaking as fear, Kisame laughed harder. He leaned back as he all, but bellowed into the sky his humor. She shifted her weight slightly, trying not to attract any more unwanted attention from the Akatsuki pair.

But it was a shame that Kisame and his partner, the ever silent Itachi, had. They both shifted toward her, and Kisame stopped his useless laughter.

She scowled. The situation couldn't be anymore awkward and, frankly, annoying. Oh she knew the danger alright, but she couldn't help as her anger rose. Her eyes narrowed upon the general figure of the pair.

Kisame raised his Samehada effortlessly and the cloth unraveled with the sheer force. She stared in awe at the amazing size of the sword. He was known for his brute strength, but this was just a wonder to her.

"Uncomfortable?" he said mockingly.

"Only when I see you." She said sharply letting her tongue slip.

She clamped down on her tongue as she watched him smile.

_Great, just great._

She didn't wish to die just yet, but if she kept opening her mouth she was sure she would be seeing more fishes at the bottom of the sea.

Itachi stepped forward, causing her to tense immediately.

"Enough of your foolish games."

_What games? I've done nothing yet, _she thought with a snap.

The rocks gave with a satisfying crack as she quickly snapped her chakra enhanced arms up. Flipping backwards, she dodged Kisame's well aimed swipe. She huffed as she felt a small trickle of her chakra was absorbed by his sword.

She landed firmly, and pushed up with her feet away from the shark-like man. He laughed again, _he sure does that a lot_, and followed her as she jumped into the trees. Leaping through the trees, she tried to put some distance between herself and the pair, when suddenly a vine erupted from the ground.

Sakura jumped quickly trying to avoid its grasp and formed the seals to release the genjutsu. With a soft 'kai', she leapt forward again. When the vine followed her she realized it was real.

_Too real to be a simple jutsu. I'll have to try another dispelling jutsu._

And she kept running, Kisame giving chase.

--

When she felt nothing but the water cascading down on her, she paused on a tree branch. She let loose a breath she didn't know she was holding. Quietly, she let a small tendril of chakra out to search for any possibly threats. Feeling none, she crouched down.

It was quiet, _too quiet._

She scanned the area and listened with intent hearing. She tensed as something, cold and slimy, crawled up her calf. Startled, she looked down. A green vine was creeping up her calf and she gasped. Tugging and tugging, the vine didn't let loose. She grabbed a kunai with intent of cutting it from her leg; she paused in favor of rolling.

Kisame had swung his massive sword down, barely missed her, and cut the branch in half. When his sword passed, she noticed that a small amount of her chakra was once again absorbed by his sword.

Hissing, the vine didn't let go. She began to fall to the forest floor and she pulled her leg toward her and tried to cut the vine. When it didn't cut, she began to worry.

_It should be cutting_, she thought, _it should be cutting!_

The air whistled passed her ears and she looked down and her heart stopped. Just below her, she stared into the eyes of the Sharigan user.

--

With a startled gasp, she flung herself up, covered in sweat. She frantically looked around, throwing herself from the bed and sent out her chakra to search for the evil doers.

_Bed?_

She paused. This didn't make much sense. She was just fighting the unbelievable pair of Akatsuki and a vine had been attached to her leg as she plummeted to the ground. The eyes of the Uchiha still flashing in her mind, she tried to dispel the jutsu with a 'kai' and when she still stood amongst the sheets of the bed, she finally breathed.

_Maybe it was just some dream…or some odd mishap?_

Sakura sighed and glanced around the room. The room was fairly bare with a few scattered pieces of furniture and a door which led to what she assumed was a bathroom. The bed was different from the average futon, a Western style she presumed. She glanced down to the wooden floors to find them covered in rugs that looked so soft she thought it was begging her to step out of place.

After a small observation, she realized she was alone. The whole house, she discovered through a chakra net, was empty as was the surrounding area. _Odd indeed._

Sakura stepped from the bed and rid herself of the tangles her hair became. She ran her fingers through her hair and padded over to the bathroom and flicked on the switch. What she discovered was just as odd. She found another modern Western shower and bath.

_Guess that's the theme._

Sakura stepped back into the small room and walked toward the bed. Shifting herself back onto the bed, she sighed. This was too much for her and she was sure the stress was going to kill her. First, she's sent on this obscene mission to the Mist. Then, she's stuck in the mud and she was sure she had been caked in the disgusting slime. She paused. She glanced down at herself patting her clothes and hair.

_Where's the mud? I swear I had slipped one too many times. Where is it?! Where?_

She slowed down her racing heart and calmed her frayed nerves. There had to be a logical explanation for this. She just had yet to find it. Perhaps, she fell asleep on the boat and her imagination was running. But that didn't explain why she was in this room. Perhaps, she's dreaming back in Konoha and never really been sent on this absurd mission. But that didn't explain her being here in the state she was in either. Perhaps, she thought, this was all some sort of practical joke.

But that didn't explain anything.

She stood up and wandered around the room studying every nook and cranny straight down to the very dust covered floor and the exasperated threads in the rugs, hoping to find some sort of tidbit of information that might explain her circumstances.

Finding nothing that would help soothe her, she huffed back into the bathroom and threw on the shower, flung off her clothes with no care to preserve them properly, and enclosed her being in cold water. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. She shook violently in the current from the showerhead and closed her eyes. Maybe this was what she needed more than anything else.

Maybe not.

Still frustrated, she threw the bar off soap, which she found on the sink, across the room and, with a soft thud, it slid slowly down the wall to the floor. She huffed and puffed and, God hoped, the house would blow down. But she continued to shake and shiver under the cold contents of the shower with nothing to ease her mind.

--

Sakura, after taking a _nice_, cold shower, found that was exactly what she needed. She could think clearly now and was, more or less, a bit relaxed even if she knew that was how she should not be. God had forsaken her leaving her in this room with nothing but an odd memory to cling to. She knew He was laughing at her expense and she shook her fist in a rage, but feeling quite foolishly.

She sighed and began to fiddle with the towel wrapped around her shoulders. She couldn't at all believe anything that had happened to her as of yet due to her current situation, but she had to find the reason as to what was wrong with her. She had scouted the area to find that there was a second door that led absolutely no where seeing as it wouldn't open at all even through her constant pounding with chakra enhanced fists. She had growled dangerously at the door hoping it would open swiftly at her command, but it didn't much to her dismay.

She had studied everything in the room and there had been nothing. Nothing that could have led to her entrapment. Her chakra was on a normal steady level and she found that there was no mark on her skin from the vine that had been attached to her.

She had, in a mighty rage seeing as that despicable door wouldn't open, thrown the clock off the wall across the room to the wall there. It had shattered into a million pieces on the floor. She had been reluctant to pick it up, but had obliged.

After her fit, she decided to have a cleaning spree wiping down every surface, mopped the floor, vacuumed the rugs, and made the beds. Sakura then had laid down on the bed and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. She was frustrated and angry. She had expended a lot of energy in the short amount of time being here and she was tired. And staring at the ceiling was sure putting her to sleep.

She yawned and tried to keep her eyes open, but they kept drifting shut. Slowly, but surely she began to drift into a peaceful sleep.

--

Sakura jolted awake. She tried to send out her chakra, but realized painfully that she had little chakra. She moaned and fell back into the sheets of the Western styled bed and writhed in pain. She felt as though her chakra was being extracted from her body. She cried out softly and clenched her hands shaking her head side from side. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to not cry, but the pain was too much as she panted and screamed.

Slowly, the pain began to fade, but she still cried and writhed in the sheets. She cried harder realizing that almost all of her chakra was gone in what felt like hours of pain, but really minutes. She felt the trickle of her sweat down her forehead and felt her hot tears plummet down the sides of her face into the soft tresses of her hair.

She felt like heaving, but swallowed dryly. She unclenched her fists and unscrewed her eyes. She stared at the ceiling once more and panted. She gradually began to shift her body weight and sat up within a matter of minutes. Sakura steadied herself on her hands and drew her legs to her chest wrapping herself around them.

She leaned her forehead against her knees and drew a shaky breath. When she settled her racing heart and steadied her breathing, she realized something.

_Tick…tick…tick…_

A soft tick filled her ears and she paused. Closing her eyes, she listened more focused on the noise.

_Tick…tick…tick…_

She opened her eyes again and lifted her head slowly to avoid any sort of dizziness. There across the room on the wall next to the door was the very clock she threw and shattered.

--

**A.N.** Rather short I do say so myself. I was slightly disappointed in the lack of reviews, but I did enjoy the few that I did receive. There were a few twists and turns and more are still on their way. I hope to have another chapter up eventually. I had hoped to post this one sooner, but obviously I didn't.

Well, maybe I will be more inspired to write more if there were a few more review..hm?

Happy reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.: ** This is Chapter three of A Shift in Balance. I would like to welcome all to read this and other stories. Of course, if I didn't recommend such things no one be here on this page. In hoping to encourage people to read this story and review for more updates or a new idea or story, I posted a new One-Shot, called Invitations. As read from chapter one, I told about Sakura having a run in with Kiba. Invitations is set to reveal that specific night to the audience/reader. Plus, it's set to bring popularity to this story. Why? Simply because I love reviews and story hits.

I hope you all enjoyed the plot twists I have thrown at you in chapter two because this chapter is full of them. Please do enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Three

The clock ticked and tacked on that god forsaken wall and Sakura felt her heart jump into her throat, her stomach churned, and her face drain of all color. She threw herself up from the bed and ran at the clock with unknown speeds. In a flash, she had gripped the clock in her hand and stared at the piece with such intensity, she thought it would explode. Or so she wished.

It laid in her hands ticking and tocking. She shivered and she shook. Her hands began to shake with such a force, the clock seemed to screech. She turned it over and over looking for anything that would suffice as evidence as to its life. And when none was found, she fell in a crumpled heap on the floor.

It had a circular shape. It had a white background. It had black hands. It had black numbers. It had black dashes. It had a black frame. It had…

Sakura sat back on her hunches and held the clock out in front of her face. She tried to draw a small portion of her chakra.

"Ah! God damn it!" She hissed dropping the clock in favor of clutching her chest.

She cried out trying to calm her racing heart and soothe the pain she felt. It felt as if a thousand needles were thriving in her chest, stabbing and stabbing until she writhed on the floor. Settling down once again, she realized that she had dropped the clock which was now shattered into many parts that she knew would never come to life again.

Sitting up, Sakura stared at the broken pieces on the floor. She was panting as she grabbed the larger pieces in her hands and stood on unsteady feet pushing against the wall for some sort of support. Glancing down at the three large pieces in her hand, she huffed and worked her way over to the trashcan.

It would be there she would find the pieces of the last clock she threw away, or so she hoped. And when her heart began to hammer in her chest, she really thought.

_I had thrown away the last pieces of the clock that broke. But if it is in the trashcan, where did this clock come from? What if there are no pieces in the trashcan? What if I had been dreaming about the clock? What if I'm dreaming now? No…this is too real. That pain…it was too real. And this clock...it's too real. But how did this happen?_

Sakura edged closer and closer to the trashcan against the far wall and when she began to come closer and closer, she felt her heart plummet to her churning stomach and she felt her blood run cold. Something wasn't right. This isn't right. There shouldn't be a clock. It shouldn't have been ticking and tocking on that wall. There shouldn't be doors that lead to nowhere. There shouldn't be a reason she was here with memories undecided.

And when she peered in that trashcan, she died just a little inside.

The pieces, the pieces, they were nowhere to be seen. An empty can full of nothing filled her sights. And the clock felt cold in between her fingers. She shook her head and cleared her mind. Throwing the pieces in, they seemed too large and the can seemed too small.

She laughed, and she didn't think twice of going back and sweeping up the rest of the mess she created. She sighed and dumping the clock in the can, she looked down chiseling the sight in her mind for later reference.

Sakura walked to the bathroom to wash her face. She stepped across the threshold and felt a wave of an unknown sensation cross her. Something else was wrong. She flipped the switch on and gazed around the bathroom. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she paced over to the sink.

She put her hands on the edge and leaned her forehead against the cold mirror and sighed. She leaned back on her heels and turned the water on cold. She ran her fingers under the rush of water first, and when she knew that it was cold enough she cupped her hands and let them fill with water.

Leaning down, she splashed the water over her face and she closed her eyes tightly hoping to rid herself of the past events. Things weren't adding up and she didn't know how to solve it. First, she had those weird…dreams or memories. Then, she was stuck in what seemed to be a small sort of home with doors that led nowhere. Finally, a clock. _The damn clock_, she thought. If Tsunade was here she would have said something about sake being a lifesaver.

Sakura decided to be bold and dunked her head under the sink letting the cool water drench her hair and cool her scalp. But it didn't ease her mind or her growing worry.

Sakura let the water drench her head and as she waited patiently to calm down, her mind began to run over the possibilities of the situation. Of course, there wasn't much to say except 

she couldn't help think back to when she first awoke here. She didn't know what the hell here was, but she knew that it was slightly cabin like in features and structure.

Briefly, she relished the idea of having a hot coffee, but while she dreaded leaving the bathroom, she didn't want to catch some cold especially without her chakra to heal her, fight of bacteria, or reduce an infection which really surprised her. She didn't know the cause of her chakra depletion, but she was starting to feel the drain.

Sakura pulled her head out and away from the sink and turned off the water before squeezing out the access water from her now soaking locks. Pulling her head up, she looked in the mirror and saw how her face was now slightly flushed and how her hair stood at odd ends. She chuckled quietly and tried to pat down the frustrated locks.

Quickly, she ran her hand through her hair to finger comb it and she straightened her clothes. It would be easier for her to focus on her current disposition. Once happy with her appearance, she sat down on the toilet seat and rested her forehead on her clasped hands which rested on her knees. She breathed in for a count of five, and breathed out for a count of five.

Tsunade often did this when she was too stressed or overloaded with work. Guaranteed, she did have to put up with Naruto just as much as Sakura did, Sakura couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness. Naruto always was there for her to keep her mildly entertained or Sai would insult her or ask something about human nature he couldn't quite understand. Kakashi, that old perverted fool, always did keep her up to date on the Make-Out series he read, and she chuckled again thinking of her team.

Closing her eyes, she thought about their loving faces, the cautious glances Hinata always gave her and Naruto when together, the way Sai clung to his art work, how Kakashi always read the infamous series by one of the Legendary Sanin, how Tsunade criticized her for working too many long hours in the hospital. She thought of all the people in Konoha and she felt the hot prickling of tears in the back of her eyes.

Sakura leaned back pulling her head away from her hands and stared up at the ceiling.

Sasuke once was one of the people in Konoha. Sasuke once was one of her team, one of the loving faces. Sasuke once was a lot of things and now he was something she didn't quite feel like thinking about, but thought about anyways.

A Missing-Nin.

He was now considered in the Bingo Book as just that. His profile clearly stated he was such and that he was to be killed on sight. Considering Orochimaru's desire for his body, she could understand why. But she still was a bit weary. Sasuke wouldn't give up his body for power, would he?

She shook her head. She hoped not.

It just didn't seem right. But she never had a sibling to kill of her clan, let alone a clan to kill. Her parents were civilians. He father owned a small stand in Konoha where he sold pastries with her mother. Sakura was supposed to inherit the shop, but once she joined the Academy to be a kunoichi, her mother declined her that right. Her mother tried to disown her of course. Saying it wasn't right for a girl to do dangerous things. Once she became apprentice to Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sanin, her mother begged Sakura to keep the Haruno name. She did, having not thought of such things.

She missed the old Sasuke, and she missed how the old Team 7 used to be. But she didn't miss the new Sasuke. The old Sasuke was a symbol of hope, or greatness for Sakura. She crushed on him, and had her feelings denied. But that had made her grow as a kunoichi. She knew now that but turning her down every time he had, he had been looking out for her better interests in the line of duty; even though it hurt her to be told that she was weak and useless.

Those words had meant a great deal to her. She fed off those words and, metaphorically, became to grow from them like a sapling grows from sun shine and water. _Weak_, _useless,_ it was all the same to her. She had meant nothing and did nothing those first few years. Sure, she was incredible smart, but she was utterly a lost cause on the field. And so when she begged Tsunade to take her as her apprentice, she took the first step to being better.

She grew under the tender, nurturing care of Tsunade. Though, Tsunade being tendering care was a bit on the wild side. Tsunade was a rough mentor and she drove Sakura to the brink every time they trained together driving her further and extending her limits. Sakura was grateful for her teacher's enthusiasm and she learned more from her than she ever did from a textbook.

Sakura had changed for the better. She became smarter and learned quickly. She easily rivaled Shikamaru on the intelligence level. Her will power reminded everyone she encountered of the Great Tsunade herself, seeing as Tsunade had told Sakura of how the rumor of her being a mini-Tsunade was starting up. But what surprised not only her, but most of the other shinobi was that her physical strength was immense. The shinobi ranks knew Sakura wasn't tough enough to handle missions of high caliber, so when she was reintroduced to the shinobi ranks with such strength and overwhelming power, it was unheard of.

Hell, she even defeated Sasori of the Akatsuki!

But all this brought her right back to the beginning. _Damn Sasori_, she thought. She had worked up such a great feeling and his mere name brought down her mood. She shook her head and straightened her back. It didn't sit well in her stomach to mope about. Instead, with fire burning in her eyes, she decided to think logically so as she left the security of the bathroom she threw her gaze to the expected empty wall.

It had a circular shape. It had a white background. It had black hands. It had black numbers. It had black dashes. It had a black frame. It had…

Her eyes widened and she let her body sway in shock. She froze and tried to still her body, she breathed in to avoid hyperventilating. Breathing in, breathing out she calmed her racing heart and forced herself to study the precarious inanimate object.

_What would Tsunade do?_ Sakura thought slowly.

_Tsunade would tell me to observe it, look for evidence of its existence and try to understand its motives. Take care to be prepared for anything. Of course, Tsunade would ask me to lay off the alcohol and to take off of work, rest up a bit, if she wasn't downing the sake. If she was drinking away her misfortune, she would tell me I was going crazy._

Sakura decided that this generally wasn't what she was hoping for. Taking shaky steps, she pushed herself to head towards the garbage can and look for the past clock's unfortunate remains. Sakura didn't know what to expect and she wished everything was as simple as Naruto's obsession for ramen was. But reality didn't have that in mind for her, or so she thought, as she looked in the garbage can with quivering eyes and shaky hands.

Nothing.

There was nothing in that forsaken pit; empty as the day she awoke in this strange place. She assumed the obvious: this was ridiculous. There were no remains of the clock she obviously broke and none from the one before that. There on the wall was another one ticking and tocking away.

She swiveled on her heels and with knew determination guided herself over to that very clock. Sakura thought precisely, _I'm going to study this God damned piece and fucking find the end to this!_ Grasping the offending item, she thrust the clock into her vision determined to sketch it permanently into her mind for later use.

It had a circular shape. It had a white background. It had black hands. It had black numbers. It had black dashes. It had a black frame. It had…

Sakura put it back on the wall and scurried around the cabin looking for a scroll and some ink. Finding some randomly in a drawer, she made a chart, one column filled with everything she knew, another everything presumed could or could not be the cause, and the last filled with questions and comments that popped into her mind in nicely written kanji.

Satisfied with her work, she laid the scroll down on the countertop next to the ink careful to not ruin her handy dandy knowledge. She worked her way back to the bed and sat on it staring intently at the clock.

_Maybe it's supposed to represent something, if anything. A clock, _she thought_, is supposed to represent time._

Sakura leaned back against the headboard and spread her legs out in front of her. _Time spent how? Doing something? Not proceeding to do something? How does time play into this? How does this time work?_

"This is ridiculous," she muttered darkly placing her hands on the bed and closing her eyes briefly. Sakura then began a course of action.

If she were to break the clock again and watch it, perhaps she could log some more useful information. Then she thought about the feelings of unease she got when she left the room which had the clock in it. Maybe the clock somehow was resurrected and put back on the wall during those time spans when she got those disturbing urgencies of unease.

She smirked, still with her eyes closed, and flexed her gloveless fingers. She stood and dragged herself over to the wall and touched the clock with malicious intentions running rapid through her mind. She brought the clock over the trashcan with such evil intent, she shivered in joy or fear, she could not tell. But she knew that the act of destroying this clock would bring immense relief and joy.

Once over the trashcan, she vented her frustrations, her worries, and her anger onto the clock with no remorse. _This is all for a better cause_, she told herself laughing under her breath. The clock broke and all the pieces fell into the garbage can with wickedly sweet sounds of crashes and thumps. All Sakura could do was smile down at them and laugh quietly.

_Since when did breaking things become my joy?_ Sakura thought frowning slightly. _And when did I forget to notice the time it read before I broke it?_ _Damn._

Tossing the rest of the shards into the can, she turned away and headed for the bed. Positioning herself in a decent pose, where she was leaning against the headboard, her arms comfortably draped across her stomach, her legs stretched out before her, she watched the wall with something quite similar to a child's curiosity to a strange animal they've never seen before in their young naïve life.

And when nothing proceeded to happen, she frowned and prepared herself for a long day or night, whichever it really was.

--

Sakura was startled awake when a feeling of dread swept over her usually like when she was expecting an assassination upon herself. She jumped slightly and quickly scanned her immediate area. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she steadied her heart and calmed her sudden adrenaline rush. She glanced at the bed and kicked off the covers and disentangled 

herself from the sheets. _Damn, I fell asleep_, she thought groggily. As that thought crossed her mind, her eyes widened and she shot her head up and flung herself at the wall and at the sight before her eyes.

It had a circular shape. It had a white background. It had black hands. It had black numbers. It had black dashes. It had a black frame. It had…

She growled and in a temperament, grabbed the clock and flung it. It flew across the room and landed in a shattered heap on the floor. She growled and, with a fist of fury, hit the wall. With a resounding _crack_, her knuckles split and she hissed in pain. Bringing her hands close to her chest, she cradled the wound and watched the blood trail down the wall. The gushing feeling of her blood trickling down her knuckles to her forearm alarmed her of its continual flow.

Her medic side kicked in and she rushed herself over to the bathroom stepping carefully around the shards of glass and glowering with distaste and hate. She opened the door and, seeing as she forgot to turn the lights off earlier when she left the bathroom with newfound determination, turned the knob of the sink with her unwounded hand. In her haste to run her hand under cold water, she ignored the feeling growing in the back of her head.

Sakura closed her eyes and hissed in pain. With her chakra, she could have easily healed the wound after numbing her nerves and cleansing it to avoid infection. But without it, the pain was bearable, but painful none the less. She opened her eyes and watched the red tinted water swivel down the drain and she narrowed her eyes. _Fuck her temper_, she thought, _fuck it_. She glowered and when the cold water began to tingle her skin, she drew her hand back carefully.

No use in hurting herself more, but in the back of her mind, she found sick satisfaction in the unnerved pain and the interesting sights of morbid fascination.

"Damn, "she whispered angrily, "Damn it all to hell."

Sakura turned around in the bathroom and looked around the small room for something that was rather easy to tear and cover her wound. No need to leave it open for all the germs and bacteria to infest in. Finding not much, she sighed. She grabbed the nearest towel, and with a frown, dunked it under the water to make it easier to tear. When satisfied with its absorbent nature, she put one end of the material in her mouth, the other she clenched in her unwounded hand.

She pulled with all her might, clenching the material between her teeth. In her peripheral vision, she noted how she looked like a rabid dog tearing away at the flesh of its prey. She huffed and when the material gave, she spit it out of her mouth not liking her comparison.

With the best of her ability, she wrapped and tied to material around her hand applying pressure slightly. She huffed feeling rather angry at herself and her reaction. Now she had another broken clock and no clues as to its reformation.

"Fuck," Sakura snorted.

Still clutching her injured hand, she stepped out of the bathroom and looked at the area where the fragmented pieces were to be laid and when nothing was found in her sights, she felt her blood run cold, her face lose all color, and her body tensed immediately. She lifted her gaze at to the wall.

It had a circular shape. It had a white background. It had black hands. It had black numbers. It had black dashes. It had a black frame. It had…

She dashed over with a huff, her breath escaping her slightly parted lips. She didn't even notice it no longer ticked or tacked. It was frozen. Frozen upon twelve, both the little and big hand were resting even so quietly on that black number twelve.

She felt her chest constrict painfully and gasped raising her hands to the material covering her chest. She shuddered as her body lost its warmth. Her eyes widened as her head began to throb and her vision swam before her eyes. Sakura collapsed to her knees and she clenched the vest upon her now cold body. She cried out as what felt like a rush of needles pricked her skin.

Her body was now shaking ferociously and she felt nausea claim her. She turned over to the side and heaved everything she had in her stomach until all that she threw up was bile. The sickly pale green liquid dripped out of her parted lips as she hyperventilated. Sakura spit out the rest of the liquid from her mouth and shuddered again when a hot searing pain traveled up her spine to the base of her skull. She nearly collapsed into her vomit when what felt like a sledgehammer hitting her skull made her cry out in pain.

She rolled herself over away from the mess she created and writhed in pain. Sakura hissed and moaned. Clawing at her vest, she tried to lift the press off of her chest and tore at her throat when she no longer could catch her breath. Her eyes watered and her ragged breath became more desperate as she slowly was being strangled by some unknown force.

_Jigai_, the word pressed itself through her pain filled mind and she shook her head still clawing at her throat trying desperately to breath.

_Jigai_, the word caressed her mind and she thought for one moment it had possessed her.

_Jigai_, the word was her savior or so she thought staring up at the putrid clock that had haunted her so.

She lifted her upper body and cried out as the hot prickling of tears burned her eyes. She gasped and groaned pulling her hand from her throat in order to push her body across the floor. Sakura felt herself growing weak as pain ransacked her body and mind.

She was a kunoichi. She was trained to bare such pain both physical and mental, but she never faced such things in her life. Death was no long a superficial thing in her life being as she saved and killed many in her time span as a media and a shinobi. She had honor and pride in her doings, not everything she did she liked or agreed with, but she was an honorable being in her status in Konoha.

In one last moment, with one last honorable time, she could do the most dignified thing the wives of samurai, and ninja alike could do to preserve such honor and meaning. Jigai grasped her heart and she pushed herself forward. She would go out with the honor and pride Konoha had raised her with.

Standing up at the counter, she scurried through the drawers until she found a tanto, the double edged dagger, with the blade length of 20 centimeters, and whimpered. Ripping her clothes with shaky hands, she fell back to her knees with the dagger in her hand clenched tightly. She pulled her legs together and under her. Tying the cloth around her knees, she paused gasping for air.

As her lungs clenched and unclenched, she thought, _I will go out dignified despite my convulsive death. I will be honored._

She grasped the tanto in her right hand and took her last shaky breaths and moaned out in pain. Holding the dagger up to her throat she took on last look back on her life, of all the things that were important and significant to where she was today in this room lost and burning with pain.

Quickly, she slashed her jugular vein with the dagger. Sakura had the sensation of falling and her world became numb. She saw out of her crying eyes the red dark liquid known as her blood gush out onto the surrounding floor. She landed with her face toward the wall. The wall that had it all.

It had a circular shape. It had a white background. It had black hands. It had black numbers. It had black dashes. It had a black frame. It had…

No more.

With one last dying thought, she realized something even more so important:

_The clock…it was my time…_

--

"Itachi-san, I see that she is finally coming to."

A soft shuffle of clothing was a whisper in the darkness. Her body was cold. Her eyes were too heavy to lift. Her hands were numb from the odd position behind her back and her legs were too stiff to move being too bound in an odd soft of fashion.

"Itachi-san," the voice was gruff and a bit questioning in the still air.

Nothing came to her as she laid there undignified upon the cold stone floor under the gaze of more than one man.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan has done its job well enough, Kisame-san."

"Indeed it has."

* * *

**A.N**.: I know, I know. It was too quick and speedy. I really just wanted to get this updated for my oh so loyal fans. I was hoping to really make something out of this, but really. I'm not that great. I couldn't write a story for the life of me. This was suppose to be a quick chapter seeing as I had a beginning and an ending in mind, just not the so called middle sandwich. So, the next chapter is going to be yippy yippy, so full of excitement and a really thriller.

We will learn about Sakura and her destruction ever so more in the next chapter. Plus, the Akatsuki really come into the picture and their devious plans start to roll out onto your laps and into your hands.

Jigai is pretty much suicide that samurai wives etc. would do to preserve honor, pride, and to avoid being raped. It was a quick ritual really and the whole tying the legs together was to be dignified in death, even if death and slicing the jugular vein isn't.

Please review. Ideas, suggestions, comments, grammar etc. just fell free to leave it in the review.

If no reviews, no update. Oh well.

With so much love,

Sakeryu


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.**: I am absolutely ecstatic about downloading a new program onto my sister's laptop. It's called Open Office. So far it's almost the exact same thing as Microsoft except free. Haha, I just hope this uploads my documents onto Fanfiction without any issues. So far it's been working swell. Ok, so this is the long awaited update to A Shift in Balance. I absolutely forgot what I was going to do with this story, but I hope I can quickly pick up where I left off at. Some of you may have been confused with the whole clock thing and the suicide. Quick spoiler for those of you who want to know: the clock represents her Inner's time left. The suicide was her Inner losing its self. I don't really know how to explain it else how. I hope you all enjoy it. I've been so focused on other things I forgot about poor ol' .

Now I do need your assistance though. I've mentioned how I forgot where I was going. Throw me some ideas as to what you want to see and how this should go about. Keep in mind this is an Akatsuki and Sakura centric story. Give me scenarios or thoughts on it! REVIEW!

Happy reading!

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Chapter 4

Sakura awoke with a weight on her chest unlike any other. She let out of puff of air and had to greedily suck in more through her cracked lips. Her tongue darted out briefly to wet them and darted back in when she realized how dry her mouth was. Her head ached with a dull throb and her eyes burned despite the fact they were closed. Sakura shifted on the hard surface, but found she could only move so far. A thick rope pressed firmly into her, clasping her weak arms to her torso. She squirmed a bit, but groaned as a pain unlike the one of an old wound that would throb from not properly healing would.

Sakura tried to open her weary eyes, but closed them meekly. The glow of a torch burned her eyes to the point that small droplets of water drifted from her. She groaned again when an ache formed behind her right eye. She thought of trying to roll over or squirming her way out of the bindings, but from the angle she laid at, the pain of doing so would agitate her weak body even more. Sakura focused on her inner self, or lack of. Usually when she was in such pain her inner embodiment would spare her the trouble and draw up tiny bits of her reserved chakra to ease it. However, her inner was nowhere to be found. She felt empty. A cold feeling laid in the pit of her stomach.

The clock...

What of that damned clock?! She thought with a rush of anguish, what about the jigai?! What about that damn isolated room with locked doors and no windows? What of it all? Where was her inner self?!

Dammit! She flung her weight to the left, with much remorse thereafter seeing as a sharp pain ran up her spin, and rolled over onto her stomach. Her breath splattered across what she now recognized as cobblestone flooring. With a grunt, she used her leg strength, and lack thereof, to propel herself into a kneeling position with her head resting against the cold floor. Her body screamed at her to quit moving and she felt the cold stab of reality.

She had no chakra to soothe herself. She had no one to help her. She was alone and cold, perhaps even on her death bed awaiting the final blow from the Akatsuki. That thought alone had her mind reeling to the start of this whole scenario. She had fallen into the worst hands she ever could. The worst of the worst. She was a leader, a great skilled ninja, and here she was on a cobblestone floor with her head bowed and her breath leaving her in huffs and puffs. This was a mistake her Shishou always heeded her off and a mistake that now would probably take her life.

"Dear Kami," she whispered to herself. She froze when a voice she never heard before called out to her.

"Yes?"

She opened her eyes in sheer surprise and lifted her head. Her eyes burned as she stared through bars at a figure that loomed in the shadows of what she presumed was the dungeon. His voice was smooth and foreboding. It alone sent shivers racing down her spine in a dreadful way. It had a deadly edge and she was almost fearful to speak further, but curiosity was said to be her downfall.

"Who are you and why do you have me here? Where am I?" Sakura spewed through parted lips. As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted speaking them. Her voice had cracked in several places and sounds hoarse as if it had not been used in years. The sound made her flinch ever so slightly.

The man, she noted from the very masculine outline of broad shoulders and thick body structure, had chuckled, a denoting sound of masculinity inside itself. He shifted slightly in the shadows and she could tell her was smug. His elbows were protruding from where she assumed he had his arms crossed.

"I am exactly as you said- God." She flattened herself against her bent legs in an attempt to shrink herself. She could feel his striking gaze upon her. His eyes glowed a leery swirling red that impaled themselves to her very soul. She shivered once more as he began again.

"As God, I control all. I answer to no one. Your questions will be answered in time, but be warned. Don't be foolish for the consequences are dire."

She flinched away from the smoke that dissipated from where he once stood. She coughed a bit, the sound scraping her ears and making her throat sore. God, she thought, interesting. Psycho maniacs are running the show. She sighed into her shaking legs. She hadn't known she was shaking until after he left. His aura was just so...imposing. It was the weight that laid heavy on her chest. She could practically breath better now that he was gone. She took solace in that, but winced at the lonesome feeling in her aching body. Inner, where are you, Sakura thought with a small hiccup, I need you.

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**A.N.:** I'll leave it here for those of you who are ready to toss me some ideas. It would really help if you guys gave me some feedback. Please, just drop a review or message me.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N**: For some reason or another, I decided to write a bit for this story, though none of you left any creative theories on where to go with this story :[ I hope I can get back on track. I have to finish one more chapter for Akatsuki's Presents. Keep forgetting though. I also have to finish typing a one-shot I did for one wonderful reviewer and I have to finish Touching Her. School has been a bit of a hassle. Easy, but tiring. I hate commuting by public transit. Takes up so much time and all the people on it make it hard for me to dot out any ideas I may have scrambled up. Also, if you haven't noted, Inner Sakura seems to have disappeared. Could it have been from the clock and her suicide? Hm :] so many thoughts!

Review though with any ideas!

Happy reading!

**A Shift in Balance**

**Chapter Five**

Had she opened her tired green eyes, it would have been just as dark as it was had she kept them closed. The impending darkness surrounded her and filled her soul to every nook and cranny with a desperation and fleeing desire . It reminded her of the darkness she saw when in the womb of the mother whom carried her. It was a darkness she could not see past nor through. This darkness left her skin crawling and her heart pumping. It left her eyes tearing and her breath to leave her. This doom had encompassed her and drowned out all of her other senses. The world in which she had hoped to open her eyes to, had become bleak and ever so distant in the prospect that there was no light to be seen, nor nothing to be sought.

She thought back on her time. For it had a circular shape. It had a white background. It had black hands. It had black numbers. It had black dashes. It had a black frame. It had all of her memories, and it had all of her life.

In this darkness, her time had passed before her eyes, and all she could see now, in this formidable place, was what had once been her time in that clock. She remembered bits a pieces of her childhood growing up in a clan destined to die. She remembered the torture it was being the last, and having to live on in a dreamscape where she was to rule unlike any other. She remembered the nurturing nature of her mother with her gentle touches and her soft lulling voice and the disciplining ways of her father with his steady gaze and hard words. She remembered first going to school, and dreaming to be not a ruler, but a leader and a fighter for the country her parents wished she fought against. She remembered making her first friend and losing that the growing beads of maturing and finding love. She remembered the first time she bullied another, and the dear pain the words tore through her as she spoke them to others. She remembered finding a childish love in a boy who left with everything and nothing. She remembered losing her innocent hands which now dripped with the blood of many. She remembered first becoming that leader and that fighter she fought to be. She remembered finding a real mother that would help her grow and fight the power her family restricted her in. She remembered killing a man with her bare hands. And she remembered all the feelings and all the horrors that life brought upon her.

But she also remembered that life was just as much abstract as it was reality. She remembered that life will always be the reality of the world, but also it was what she made it. She controlled it, but the world would always affect her as much as she had it.

Through her bleary, blinded eyes, she sought out the light that would bring her back to her reality for she would not give up. Not now and not until the very day her life fled her body in a wisp. Not until she could change the world one person at a time.

Sakura focused on the hushed murmurs of water droplets against the cold floor. She focused on the numbing pain running across her spine wherever she twisted and turned. She focused on the dull thud of her heart as her body twitch erratically.

She was losing hope steadily. It had been days since she had spoken to that man who called himself God. It had been longer since she has eaten a proper meal. Her body was starting to feel sluggish and her tired eyes could barely stay open. She hardly slept, in fear of dreams that would haunt her. Every time her eyes closed, she thought of the jigai and it taunted her. What she feared most was if she closed her tired eyes, the Akatsuki would rid of her.

Sakura pushed herself against the floor more thoroughly and let loose a tight sigh. She turned her head to where she knew the dungeon doors lurked, and she tried to see past it. The darkness was too imposing.

Light never filtered in and she knew why. Darkness was a growing fear that always lurked. Sure, the Academy trains young, aspiring children to rid themselves of fear and whatnot, but children are hopeless. Fear will always find them, even into adult life. That's why she was in the darkness. They were hoping for her to cave in on herself and beg to see light again, a shining hope that darkness crushes.

She knew better.

She would be hopeless for them like those children. She would never beg.


End file.
